HARRISON, NJ – Looking to put last week’s horrific loss to Inter Miami CF firmly in the rear-view mirror, the Red Bulls returned home to face a New England Revolution team looking to add some victories to the win column themselves. Head Coach Sandro Schwarz called the 6-2 loss a “learning process” and one not to dwell on as his team looked forward to righting the ship against one of their long-time “Orginal Ten” rivals in front of the home supporters and continuing the home dominance this season.
While their record reflects otherwise, the Red Bulls have been having trouble scoring goals lately, leaving points in matches they should’ve won. But not this evening. Just six minutes into the match, Lewis Morgan took a pass from Sean Nealis deep from his defensive position and coolly slotted the ball past the New England goalkeeper for his eighth goal of the season to take the early lead.
Red Bulls nearly doubled their lead in the 18th minute as Emil Forsberg took a deft pass from the sideline by Lewis Morgan, but Emil’s shot slammed off the crossbar, drawing agonized groans from the home supporters.
But the lead did not last long. New England recovered from the early onslaught and equalized the match. Tomas Chancalay spotted Carles Gil near the box by floating the ball toward him, and Carles did the rest, heading the ball past a flatfooted Carlos Coronel, who was helpless to do anything.
The Red Bulls received a lifeline in the form of a penalty call as the ball bounced up and seemed to hit Henry Kessler’s arm. After a brief review by the Video Assistant Referee, referee Jon Freeman confirmed the call. Emil Forsberg shortly converted the penalty to the delight of the home supporters, who recaptured the lead in the 43rd minute.
As the first half drew to a close, the Revolution looked for answers, while the Red Bulls were on the front foot, looking to continue their fortunes in the second half.
The second half began curiously as both teams tried vainly to get the referee’s attention by simulating fouls, more notably from the visitors as they tried to slow down the Red Bulls as their relentless pressure put them on their heels.
However, the Revolution was able to fight back, exerting pressure of their own by winning balls that New York carelessly gave away. But just as they were about to gather some steam, the Red Bulls struck again in the 85th minute, as Elias Manoel’s second goal of the season put the home side even further ahead.
The Revolution responded with a goal of their own in the 90th minute. Emmanuel Boateng found a wide-open Giacomo Vrioni in the center of the box to cut the lead to one. He was awarded the goal following a VAR review after the linesman disallowed it. Less than one minute later, the Red Bulls responded. Lewis Morgan quickly found Cameron Harper on a break, and he got his first goal of the season to restore the two-goal cushion, sealing their first win since April 6 against FC Cincinnati.
SCORING SUMMARY:
6′ – New York Red Bulls – Lewis Morgan, assisted by Sean Nealis
24′ – New England Revolution – Carles Gil, assisted by Tomas Chancalay
43′ – New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg, converted penalty
84′ – New York Red Bulls – Elias Manoel, assisted by Wiki Carmona
90′ – New England Revolution – Giacomo Vrioni, assisted by Emmanuel Boateng
90+3′ – New York Red Bulls – Cameron Harper, assisted by Lewis Morgan and Elias Manoel
DISCIPLINE:
42′ – New England Revolution – Henry Kessler – Yellow Card
66′ – New England Revolution – Dylan Borrero – Yellow Card
82′ – New England Revolution – Tomas Chancalay – Yellow Card
STARTING XI:
New England Revolution: Aljaz Ivacic, Andrew Farrell (Emmanuel Boateng 88′), Xavier Arreaga, Henry Kessler, Nick Lima, Matt Polster, Mark-Anthony Kaye (Ian Harks 88′), Giacomo Vrioni, Carles Gil (24′), Tomas Chancalay, Esmir Bajraktrarevic (Dylan Borrero 64′)(Noel Buck 90+10′)
New York Red Bulls: Carlos Coronel, Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis, Noah Elie (Andres Reyes 86′), John Tolkin, Wiki Carmona (Dennis Gjengaar 86′), Frankie Amaya, Daniel Edelman, Emil Forsberg (43′ – PK)(Cameron Harper 83′), Lewis Morgan (6′), Dante Vanzeir (Elias Manoel 69′)
Final Thoughts:
The Red Bulls can take solace in the fact that they were able to put a difficult loss behind them. The game was sloppy at times, and there were some nervous moments where they almost let the Revolution back into the match, but overall, they managed to get the job done. However, they will have very little time to celebrate as they now must travel to the nation’s capital to take on yet another long-time nemesis, only this time it’s D.C. United on Wednesday night.